Fellow Amtrak passenger disputes ‘screaming’ Christie story

Media claims that a "screaming" Chris Christie was kicked off Amtrak's "quiet car" over the weekend are being challenged by a fellow passenger.

The New Jersey governor and Republican presidential candidate made headlines Sunday for apparently breaking rules that are all-too-familiar to seasoned Amtrak riders: He used his cellphone on the "quiet car."

But contrary to the Gawker headline that started it all -- which claimed he was kicked off for "screaming on his phone" -- another passenger who's not exactly a Christie sympathizer said it didn't really go down that way.

Katie Klabusich, a host on Netroots Radio, said Christie had been sitting at her table and was "super courteous."

Gawker and others have since noted her account, which conflicted sharply with that of the passenger who first spoke to Gawker and described Christie as "yelling" at his security agents.

So what really happened?

The campaign acknowledged Christie ended up leaving the "quiet car" but chalked up the encounter to a mix-up.

"On a very full train this morning, the Governor accidentally took a seat in Amtrak's notorious quiet car," campaign official Samantha Smith said in a statement Sunday. "After breaking the cardinal rule of the quiet car, the Governor promptly left once he realized the serious nature of his mistake and enjoyed the rest of his time on the train from the cafe car. Sincere apologies to all the patrons of the quiet car that were offended."